We know it’s early with spring practice soon to begin, but there’s already three SEC teams with tremendous momentum heading into the 2015 season — a couple you may not expect:

Arkansas (Ready to challenge for SEC title) — No longer the squad every team beats up on in the West, the Razorbacks took a giant leap forward in November with consecutive shutouts of nationally-ranked LSU and Ole Miss, much-needed wins that changed the direction of the program under Bret Bielema and quieted naysayers. Last season was about ending the drought and now that it’s over, Arkansas has its sights set on a competitive finish in college football’s most competitive division. Opposing teams can expect a physical, grind-it-out war against a confident Razorbacks team this fall.

Auburn (Early Western Division favorite) — Rebounding from, by 2013’s standards, a disappointing 8-5 season is priority No. 1 this fall for a Tigers team that upgraded its coaching staff during the offseason. Despite heavy personnel losses at the skill positions, Auburn will reload — not rebuild — in prep for what should be an exciting finish in the SEC West. It’s hard to label the Tigers as the SEC’s best team since Gus Malzahn’s squad will likely appear just outside the preseason Top 10, but with a new-look defense and Jeremy Johnson at quarterback, Auburn the personnel in place for a special campaign.

Tennessee (From 7-6 to 10 wins) — The Vols are trending up, perhaps the SEC’s second-hottest team at season’s end last fall behind the Razorbacks. Equipped with another elite signing class, a dual-threat returning quarterback and numerous starters back on defense, Butch Jones will certainly produce the best team he’s had in Knoxville. With expectations comes pressure and if Tennessee moves out of September unscathed, we’ll be talking about a team in national title contention heading into the meat of the SEC slate.